Armed Forces Radio And Television Service

While the war in Iraq plays out on television at home, what are U.S. servicemen abroad watching? Those with the time actually face their own choice between news and escapism, sifting through the gamut of television fare -- from "The Bernie Mac Show" to Jay Leno's monologue to "The O'Reilly Factor" -- courtesy of Armed Forces Radio and Television Service. Operated by the Department of Defense, the service makes television available to 800,000 servicemen and their families outside the U.S.

U.S. troops abroad will be able to hear Rush Limbaugh by next month following an agreement that ended a war of words between the Pentagon and the conservative talk show host. Col. Joe Cook, chief of staff of the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service, said the first hour of Limbaugh's three-hour radio show will be distributed five days a week to military stations. He said the 1,000 outlets in 134 countries where U.S.

It's more than 75 miles from the low-key Mexican restaurant where Lawrence Marotta grabs a late bite on a warm spring day to the bustling power tables at Morton's and the Ivy, where entertainment industry heavyweights "do lunch," hashing out deals over $20 entrees and bottles of Pellegrino. Still, Marotta and his associates have access to a roster of talent unequaled in the television industry. Jay Leno and David Letterman. "Friends," "The Simpsons" and "Everybody Loves Raymond."

The Pentagon said Thursday that it is considering carrying conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh's radio and TV shows on the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service, two days after a military spokeswoman had said the troops are not interested. Spokeswoman Kathleen deLaski had said Tuesday that the service did not carry the shows because of a lack of demand. She cited a recent survey of military listeners that found "at least for the Rush Limbaugh TV show, only 0.02% of them wanted it. . .

The headquarters of most big American radio and television networks are high above the towered streets of New York. An exception--the biggest network of them all, geographically--stands on a nondescript boulevard in Sun Valley. The building is full of the usual monitor-crammed control rooms, but some of the engineers at the control boards are in camouflage fatigues or other military uniforms. It is the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service, which broadcasts around the clock to 1.

Religious programming was once ranked at the bottom of the popularity scale by the young listeners and viewers of Armed Forces Radio and Television. Today, however, Christian rock music, black gospel singing and Top 10 contemporary Christian music dominate the five weekly hours of religious radio offered to military stations. And the religious television package is livelier, too, with magazine-format shows and religious videos done in the MTV style.

Getting tired of baking in a tank all day waiting for the war? Fed up with that same old daily desert routine? Bored with monochromatic, monotonous sandy scenery? Desert Shield Radio 107 has a diversion for the weary, homesick GI in Saudi Arabia: Enter the "I Saw Elvis at Desert Shield" contest. Send that entry on a card or in a letter and "tell us where you saw the King and describe the encounter!"

Armed Forces Radio and Television broadcasts religious programs for the 1.3 million servicemen and women overseas, but for many years the military airwaves typically carried worship services, Bible studies and music by the likes of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Little wonder then that surveys of the predominantly young military personnel ranked religious shows at the bottom, almost as expendable in their minds as big band and classical music.

While the war in Iraq plays out on television at home, what are U.S. servicemen abroad watching? Those with the time actually face their own choice between news and escapism, sifting through the gamut of television fare -- from "The Bernie Mac Show" to Jay Leno's monologue to "The O'Reilly Factor" -- courtesy of Armed Forces Radio and Television Service. Operated by the Department of Defense, the service makes television available to 800,000 servicemen and their families outside the U.S.

Religious programming was once ranked at the bottom of the popularity scale by the young listeners and viewers of Armed Forces Radio and Television. Today, however, Christian rock music, black gospel singing and Top 10 contemporary Christian music dominate the five weekly hours of religious radio offered to military stations. And the religious television package is livelier, too, with magazine-format shows and religious videos done in the MTV style.

Armed Forces Radio and Television broadcasts religious programs for the 1.3 million servicemen and women overseas, but for many years the military airwaves typically carried worship services, Bible studies and music by the likes of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Little wonder then that surveys of the predominantly young military personnel ranked religious shows at the bottom, almost as expendable in their minds as big band and classical music.

U.S. troops abroad will be able to hear Rush Limbaugh by next month following an agreement that ended a war of words between the Pentagon and the conservative talk show host. Col. Joe Cook, chief of staff of the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service, said the first hour of Limbaugh's three-hour radio show will be distributed five days a week to military stations. He said the 1,000 outlets in 134 countries where U.S.

The Pentagon said Thursday that it is considering carrying conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh's radio and TV shows on the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service, two days after a military spokeswoman had said the troops are not interested. Spokeswoman Kathleen deLaski had said Tuesday that the service did not carry the shows because of a lack of demand. She cited a recent survey of military listeners that found "at least for the Rush Limbaugh TV show, only 0.02% of them wanted it. . .

Getting tired of baking in a tank all day waiting for the war? Fed up with that same old daily desert routine? Bored with monochromatic, monotonous sandy scenery? Desert Shield Radio 107 has a diversion for the weary, homesick GI in Saudi Arabia: Enter the "I Saw Elvis at Desert Shield" contest. Send that entry on a card or in a letter and "tell us where you saw the King and describe the encounter!"

It's more than 75 miles from the low-key Mexican restaurant where Lawrence Marotta grabs a late bite on a warm spring day to the bustling power tables at Morton's and the Ivy, where entertainment industry heavyweights "do lunch," hashing out deals over $20 entrees and bottles of Pellegrino. Still, Marotta and his associates have access to a roster of talent unequaled in the television industry. Jay Leno and David Letterman. "Friends," "The Simpsons" and "Everybody Loves Raymond."

The headquarters of most big American radio and television networks are high above the towered streets of New York. An exception--the biggest network of them all, geographically--stands on a nondescript boulevard in Sun Valley. The building is full of the usual monitor-crammed control rooms, but some of the engineers at the control boards are in camouflage fatigues or other military uniforms. It is the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service, which broadcasts around the clock to 1.